ObjectiveParticipants will see that Jesus, as the Lord's Servant,
brings justice and righteousness to the world.

Group Guidelines
Divide into small groups of 4-6 people. The leader for each
group will be the person whose birthday is closest to today. The leader's task
is to keep the group moving through the study and to encourage participation
from everyone in the group.

Building Community

1.
What
is your image of a servant? Do you imagine someone who looks like a maid or a
butler, complete with black and white outfits and funny accents? Or do you
imagine the personal attendants for medieval kings and queens?

2.
What
is your definition of a servant? Someone who...(check those that apply)

____serves others
____performs duties for a master or personal employer
____is the domestic hired help
____is completely in the service of another and has no freedom but to obey
____obeys and serves another

3.
What
services does a servant perform?

4.
When
was the last time someone served you?

5.
Have
you ever been a servant? When?

6.
Do
you consider yourself a servant? Why or why not?

Looking at God's Word

1.
Take
turns reading verses from Isaiah 42:1-7 out loud in your group. Which of the
following definitions of "servant" do you think best reflects the
role of servant described in this passage?
trusted envoy confidential
representative slave
king's attendant voluntary
follower minister
Discuss your answer in the group.

2.
What
qualities does this servant have?

3.
What
was the servant's ultimate purpose?

4.
Today,
who might be described as:
a bruised reed?
a dimly burning wick?
the blind?
prisoners?
those who sit in darkness?

5.
What
justice could this servant bring to...
a bruised reed?
a dimly burning wick?
the blind?
prisoners?
those who sit in darkness?

6.
What
justice could this servant bring to your life

Reinforcing What Has Been Learned

Jesus was the fulfillment of the servant role described in
this section of Isaiah. Complete the following statements and share your
answers in your small group.

Jesus' role as a servant means that
He...
Jesus' greatest act of service for me was...
My role as a servant means that I...
An important learning I would like to remember from this study is...

Closing

Come back together as a large group. Make a list of people
and situations that could benefit from the service of the Servant. Get
volunteers to pray for these requests during a closing prayer.

Originally published in Discovery Bible Studies V, studies on
the Old Testament readings for lectionary series A, in 1992.